Netflix CEO Denies Pentagon Caused Cancellation Of Gay Drama ‘Boots’
Image: Image: Boots - Netflix
Netflix boss Ted Sarandos has spoken out following the cancellation of the hit gay military drama Boots.
He has responded to claims that the show was cancelled due to statements made by the US Pentagon that labelled it “woke garbage.”
However he has refuted these claims this week.
View this post on Instagram
Netflix confirms Boots wasn’t cancelled by the Pentagon
Audiences were baffled when the hit show Boots was shown the door from streaming service Netflix last year.
The compelling drama, based on the book The Pink Marine, about the life of a young gay military recruit in the US Marine Corps set in the 1990’s had become an instant worldwide hit after dropping on the platform.
However it appears the Pentagon were not as fond of the popular show.
In a rare statement to Entertainment Weekly about the program a representative labelled the program “woke garbage.”
鈥淥ur standards across the board are elite, uniform, and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn鈥檛 care if you鈥檙e a man, a woman, gay, or straight,鈥� they stated.
鈥淲e will not compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda, unlike聽Netflix聽whose leadership consistently produces and feeds woke garbage to their audience and children.鈥�
Naturally when Boots was abruptly cancelled in December last year without reason many thought it was due to the influence from the US government.
Now Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has shed some light on the actual reasoning behind the decision.
At the DGA Awards this week he spoke with about the speculation over the reasons for the shows cancellation.
He told the publication that the comments from the Pentagon were “absolutely not” the reason for its cancellation.
Instead he pointed to engagement levels with the program, the length viewers were actually tuning in and whether they were providing positive feedback to the platform.
鈥淭hese are all business decisions based on audience relative to the cost of the show. do the people who push play watch it 鈥榯il the end? Do they give it a couple thumbs up? Does it keep growing? All those things. That decision is made every day,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he beauty of why people get upset when you cancel a show is 鈥榗os they love them. That鈥檚 the best part of our business, is that people really love the product. It鈥檚 heartbreaking to cancel any show ever, particularly a show that Norman Lear brought to me,鈥� he continued.
Series star Miles Heizer shared his disappointment at the cancellation online, also noting the comments from the government.
“I鈥檓 pretty disappointed we won鈥檛 be returning. But the friends I made and being called woke garbage by the pentagon are things I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Although there’s no confirmation of its future, many are hoping the program may get picked up by another platform in the future.
View this post on Instagram
You May Also Like
